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 760 OAPKAJA CAPRICORN he retired. In 1847 he was for a short time prime minister, and in 1 849 a member of the pro- visional government of Tuscany. In 1859 he was chosen president of the consulta, and afterward became a member of the senate, and chairman of the committee relating to historical re- searches in Tuscany, Umbria, and the Marches. He was one of the founders of the Antologia, and after its suppression in 1842 he established in Florence the Archivio storico italiano, and in Paris (1845-'6) the Qazetta Italian, in which he urges the secularization of the papal government. He has been for many years a member of the academy della Crusca, taking an active part, even after he became blind, in the preparation of new editions of the academical dictionary, and, together with Becchi, Borghi, and Niccolini, in that of an improved edition of Dante's Divina Commedia (Florence, 1837). He edited Colletta's Storia del reame di Na- poli and the Documents di storia Italiana (Florence, 1836-'7). CAPRAJA (anc. Capraria and sEgilori), a small volcanic island of the Mediterranean, between the N. point of Corsica and the coast of Tuscany. It is about 15 m. in circumfer- ence ; its surface is generally mountainous, and its principal product is wine. Wild goats still abound in the mountains. It has a town of its own name, with a safe harbor. In 1507 the island was taken from Corsica by the Genoese, and it is now a part of the province of Genoa. CAPRARA, Giovanni Battista, an Italian prelate and statesman, born in Bologna, May 29, 1733, died in Paris, June 21, 1810. He was not 25 years old when appointed by Pope Benedict XIV. vice legate at Ravenna. He was after- ward papal nuncio successively at Cologne, Lucerne, and Vienna, and in 1792 was made cardinal. In 1800 he was created bishop of Jesi. Having been appointed in 1801 legate a latere to the French republic, he succeeded in arranging the terms of the concordat, which were agreed upon July 15, 1801 ; and in April, 1802, that document was promulgated at Paris, and the Roman Catholic form of worship was inaugurated at the church of Notre Dame with great splendor. In May, 1805, he crowned Napoleon at Milan as king of Italy. Return- ing to Paris as legate of the pope, he died there. CAPRERA, a small island in the Mediterra- nean, lying off the N. E. coast of Sardinia, and belonging to the province of Sassari. It con- tains about 6,700 acres, and is notable for having been for some years the residence of Garibaldi. CAPRI (nnc. Caprece), a small and rocky Italian island, in the Mediterranean, S. of the entrance to the bay of Naples; pop. about 5,000. It is celebrated for its fine climate, which makes it a favorite resort for invalids, especially for those suifering from chronic bronchitis. It is. noted in history as the place where Augustus resided during his illness, and where Tiberius spent the last ten years of his life. The island is about 9 m. in circumference, and surrounded by steep cliffs. In these cliffs are several remarkable grottoes, the most in- teresting of which is the Blue grotto, 165 ft. long, 100 ft. broad, and about 40 ft. high. It can only be entered in calm weather, by a boat through a natural arch 3 ft. high. The water within is 50 ft. deep, and like the walls and the roof is of a beautiful blue color. The principal town of the island, of the same name, is the see of a bishop, and contains a cathedral and some other churches ; pop. about 3,400. There is also a small town called Anacapri. Be- tween the two mountains of limestone (the highest of which is Monte Solaro, rising nearly 1,800 ft. above the sea) lies a fertile valley, Cliffs of Capri. which yields grain, olives, grapes, and other fruits. The inhabitants are engaged in the production of the red and white Capri wines and of oil, in fishing, and in catching quails, vast numbers of which are taken every spring and autumn on their passage from and to Afri- ca. Remains of several of the 12 villas erected by Tiberius in various parts of the island are still to be seen, and other relics of antiquity have been excavated here. In 1806 it was in possession of the French ; they were driven out by an English fleet commanded by Sir Sidney Smith, who placed there a garrison under Col. Hudson Lowe. In 1808 the French under Gen. Lamarque made a descent upon the island ! and forced the garrison to surrender. CAPRICORN (Lat. capricornus, from caper, a goat, and cornu, a horn), a zodiacal constella- tion represented by a goat, or a figure half goat and half fish. Capricorn is believed to represent the form which poets say Pan as- sumed when, to escape Typhon, he sprang into the Nile. It is the tenth sign of the '/'- liuc, and stands after Sagittarius and before